A typical Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) system in a retail setting may comprise a monitoring system and at least one security tag or marker attached to an article to be protected from unauthorized removal. The monitoring system establishes a surveillance zone (also referred to as an interrogation zone) in which the presence of security tags and/or markers can be detected. The surveillance zone is usually established at an access point for the controlled area (e.g., adjacent to a retail store entrance and/or exit). If an article enters the surveillance zone with an active security tag and/or marker, then an alarm may be triggered to indicate possible unauthorized removal thereof from the controlled area. In some scenarios, the security tag includes a processor and an alarm transducer disposed therein. This type of security tag is known as an alarming security tag. The alarm transducer can include, but is not limited to, a speaker, a Light Emitting Diode (“LED”) and/or a vibration device. In contrast, if an article is authorized for removal from the controlled area, then the security tag and/or marker thereof can be deactivated and/or detached therefrom. Consequently, the article can be carried through the surveillance zone without being detected by the monitoring system and/or without triggering the alarm.
Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) systems may also be used in a retail setting for inventory management and related security applications. In an RFID system, a reader transmits a Radio Frequency (“RF”) carrier signal to an RFID device. The RFID device responds to the carrier signal with a data signal encoded with information stored by the RFID device. Increasingly, passive RFID labels are used in combination with EAS labels in retail applications.
As is known in the art, security tags for security and/or inventory systems can be constructed in any number of configurations. The desired configuration of the security tag is often dictated by the nature of the article to be protected. For example, pre-packaged goods which are subject to retail theft (e.g., Compact Discs and small electronic devices) may contain an EAS label disposed within the packaging thereof. In this case, the EAS label is located inside the packaging such that it is hidden form the consumer at least during the pre-purchase period.
EAS and/or RFID labels may be enclosed in a rigid tag housing, which can be secured to the monitored object (e.g., a piece of clothing in a retail store). The rigid housing typically includes a pin which is inserted through the fabric and secured in place on the opposite side. The housing cannot be removed from the clothing without destroying the housing except by using a dedicated removal device.
However, by inserting the pin through the fabric, the monitored object incurs some damage from the pin. High-end retailers and customers dislike having expensive merchandise (e.g., leather goods) damaged by retail theft deterrent devices. Shoes are especially difficult to protect using a device having a pin because the shoe material often suffers permanent damage from the pin.
Shoes present other difficulties for pinned security tags because shoe materials are often too rigid to insert the pin. Many retailers attempt to secure their merchandise using these hard tags in combination with pins, lanyards or both through a lace eyelet or in the tongue area. This practice is fine for a few shoe types, but the tag/pin/lanyard interferes with the fitting and lacing process of the merchandise. Thus, many shoes and boots cannot be tagged at all. In addition, for items such as boots, a pin may be too short to extend through the thickness of the boot material, thereby preventing the pin from being secured.
One solution is to use pinless security tags which “pinch” an article between a housing portion of the device and an arm portion of the device. Pinless security tags rely on the static force between the housing and the arm to maintain contact with the article being protected. Some pinless security tags are designed in such a way that the attachment mechanism requires using a great amount of compressive force, which can damage the shoes to which they are attached. It has been determined from pervious security tag products that customers do not purchase expensive shoes with a defect. For articles having smooth surfaces (such as articles made of leather) removal of the device can be accomplished by steadily working out the article from between the arm and the housing. When prior art pinless tags are attached to shoes, they may slide off if the proper application force has not been achieved. Even if the applied force is sufficient to prevent removal of the security tag from the shoe, the shoe can be permanently damaged by the impression left in the material by the security tag.